Once Upon a Grad Student
by BlueRose20
Summary: Emma Swan made some mistakes before. Okay, maybe just one big one and it went by the name of Neal. Now, she's in grad school, trying to earn a teaching degree and put the past behind her. Suddenly, she meets dreamy Killian and she forgets her own name. Killian Jones also comes with a dark past he'd rather forget, but as soon as he meets Emma he knows he's right where he should be.
1. Chapter 1

**Emma**

Hands fisted in my hair, knotting and pulling at my scalp. Body pushing against mine, moving and molding himself to me. Our breaths coming in faster and faster, my eyes shut tight. He lets go of my hair only to trail it down my face and neck all the way down to my breasts. I feel him move his face from my neck where he'd been hiding and move down until I feel his hot breath graze over my nipples and my torso began to involuntarily lift off the bed…

Beep beep beep. 6:05 am. Beep beep beep. Fuck me.

It was a dream. Another dream, to be precise. I'd been having more and more dreams with the same faceless guy. Every time it happens I wake up in a sweat, panting, wanting. I couldn't keep this up, though. I needed my sleep to be undisturbed and restful, not plenty disturbed and rest _less_.

Today would be like every other uneventful day in the life of a grad student. Except it wasn't because it was my first day. Regardless, I had meant to treat today like any other.

After reaching over to slam my alarm clock in the face to shut it up, I leave the mess that is my bed, or rather a very comfy swarm of blankets and pillows. With my eyes still groggy with sleep I make my way over to the bathroom. _What a mess_ , I think to myself as I look in the mirror. My hair completely disheveled, curling this way and that. Not cute at all. My nightgown is riding up and also not in a cute way. I swear the bags under my eyes are getting bigger and bigger every day. Same old, same old.

I had long ago given up the hope that someday I would roll out of bed looking like Karlie Kloss instead of boring, plain Emma Swan. So now I give a nod of acknowledgement to my buddies the eye bags, take the nearest hair tie and wrap my hair up out of my face so I can get to work on looking presentable.

After brushing my teeth, combing out the knots in my hair, applying some makeup, and putting in my contacts, I made my way to my dresser to choose my outfit only to look over at the clock and realize I had never changed the hour after daylight savings yesterday! Fuck me twice.

How could I do that? Now I only have an hour to finish getting ready _and_ get to my first class! Fuck fuck fuck. This was not the way it was supposed to go. Maybe in high school I didn't have my life together. There was Neal—no, let's not go there today. Point is that by college, Emma Swan got her shit together. Routine, life goals, and plans. I did not mess up… ever.

Realizing there was no point wondering what caused my brain to fart last night, I quickly pull on a black pencil skirt, a white blouse, my trusty worn-down riding boots and my signature red leather jacket. Putting it on always gave me that extra boost of confidence I needed in my day, and boy did I wear it every day, come rain or shine. It had been a constant since finding it in that thrift store that time with Neal—nope, definitely not going there today.

Today was about me. I had worked my butt off for four years in college while working two jobs and tutoring and volunteering to guarantee my spot in this grad school. I needed this. I owed it to myself and to my family.

I look over at the clock again. 6:35am. Which really meant 7:35am, giving me only 10 minutes to grab a granola bar and my bag to get out the door of my dorm and get to my class in Grimm Hall. I can do this.

I'm out the door just as predicted and halfway to Grimm when I realize I forgot my phone. This day could just not get any worse. _Whatever_ , I think, _I would have had to silence it anyway and everyone knows it's my first day anyway. Who would call me?_

With five minutes left, I stop over at the bagel truck in front of Grimm to pick up some coffee so I wouldn't be dying in class. Standing in line I suddenly felt like someone was watching me. I turned around to see who was behind me in line. There was only a guy, really tall so I couldn't see his face. How strange. It really felt like someone was watching me.

The food truck girl hands me my coffee with a smile. "Here you go!" she beams. Her enthusiasm only manages to pull out a sheepish grin from me as I mumble my thanks. As I turn around, I suddenly feel a tap on my shoulder. My shoulders bunch up and I look up at Really Tall Guy and my jaw falls open.

He's absolutely gorgeous. Clear blue eyes, tousled brown hair and just the right amount of stubble. Oh, why hadn't I bothered to look up before? Looking at him is making my day. It dawns on me I've been staring for a little too long without saying anything when he breaks out into a dimpled smile. What's my name again?

"Sorry to bother you," he says. Shit, he's British too? What the— "I noticed you were holding a course packet in your hands and it said 'Principles of Education' and I was just wondering-"

He pauses, looking uncertain. I guess I'm still staring. Compose yourself, Swan! "Hmm? Oh yes, yeah. I'm taking the class with Professor Alvarez." I look away from his cute adorable little face for a second. Shit shit shit. Does this mean he's in my class? Oh no. I need to be nice! Okay. "Are you in that class too?" Please say no, _please_. He'll be trouble.

"Yes! Oh good, I'm glad you're in it because that would have been really embarrassing if you weren't," he chuckles, shoving his hands into his coat pockets. I look down and see his outfit of choice. Long blue woolen coat with a knitted beige scarf. Nice. Jeans and boots. Nice. Casual. Messenger bag. Hot. Nothing gets me going more than the thought of this guy being as studious as can be. Or as me.

Oops, I didn't respond again! Shit shit shit. Play it cool. "Oh don't worry. I totally get it. It's nice to find a buddy for your classes," I say with a smile. A buddy? God, what a dork.

He reaches over to grab his coffee from a now blushing food truck girl and he dazzles her with a full on smile. He points his coffee towards Grimm Hall and asks, "Shall we?"

In my head, I save the way he phrased that question for later. I imagine him asking me to dance, to give him a kiss, to give him a blow— Stop it. He needs an answer. I smile up at him.

"Of course. Don't want to be late."


	2. Chapter 2

**Killian**

I'd woken up late today of all days. Bloody hell. Dreaming of the same blonde siren wanting to take me again and again—I needed rest! It's been exactly one month of ending things with Milah, or should I say, one month of pure torture, of begging her to take me back, of pleading with her that we _could_ do the long-distance thing.

It had been my idea to study in the U.S. After Liam died, London just did not feel like home anymore. No matter how much Milah decorated and cooked and tried to cheer me up, Liam had left a void inside of me. He had been more than my brother. He had been parent, best friend, hero… but, let's not go there today. Breaking up with Milah was hard enough to deal with lately.

She said we couldn't be together an ocean apart. I said it would be romantic, writing letters full of yearning and passion. She didn't believe me. She said it would be the final straw, pushing us further and further apart until I wouldn't want to be with her anymore. It didn't make sense to me at all. Sure, I knew I had been distant but only because I trusted our relationship to go through any obstacles. And I never even wanted to be without her. My plan was always to bring her here with me to study. To make a new home for us. But as she constantly told me, her moving here was out of the question. Another thing that did not make any sense. It's not like she begged me to stay. She seemed resigned, decided.

So, I was not over Milah. I wanted her back, and badly. Maybe that was why my brain was trying to compensate my loneliness by fantasizing the faceless blonde. For a little bit, my mind was off Milah. It focused instead on the naked goddess whose face was always hidden behind that lovely long blond hair, curling to her waist… Enough, Jones! You're a taken man! You need to focus today, prove to yourself that all of this was worth the kilometers between you and your true love. You need to change Milah's mind!

I needed a coffee. That's why I walked over to the food truck in front of Grimm Hall. And it was then that I realized I was standing right behind the woman in my dreams.

Long blond hair cascading down her red leather jacket. Bloody hell. Was this another dream?

Just then, she turned around. I swallowed hard. I had never seen any woman more beautiful than her. She was all green eyes, dark lashes, pink lips… and she looked right past me. Oh, that's right. I'm nobody. She wasn't the kind of girl to give me the time of day. Besides, I have Milah. Or had her, but trying to get back together. Fuck.

Still, I couldn't help my eyes looking the siren up and down. It couldn't hurt, right? Imagining my fingers trailing down her hair and landing on her perfectly round arse… just then, she moved an object to her other arm and I saw it was my same course packet. "Principles of Education." She was going to be my classmate?! How was I going to survive being so near to her? My concentration would be gone in a second. Bloody HELL.

Alright, calm down, Killian. You're mature enough to handle yourself around a beautiful woman. You're a grad student for crying out loud. And you call yourself a taken man, aye? No more of this. In fact, let's be friends with her. Show you can be civil and Milah has nothing to worry about with the American girls.

So, I tapped her on the shoulder. I wasn't sure what I was going to say but as soon as her surprised green eyes met mine, all of my doubts went out of my head. I could do this.

"Sorry to bother you," I said with a smile. "I noticed you were holding a course packet in your hands and it said 'Principles of Education' and I was just wondering-" I trailed off because she looked so miserably bored. Great, she already thinks me I'm a dork.

"Hmm?" she seemed to refocus. God, she was beautiful. "Oh yes, yeah. I'm taking the class with Professor Alvarez. Are you in that class too?" she asks biting her rosy bottom lip. What's my name again?

"Yes!" I exclaim a little too loud as I remember I still haven't answered her. Shit. "Oh good," I start again. Yeah, that seems a lot more composed. "I'm glad you're in it because that would have been really embarrassing if you weren't," I laugh nervously. Yeah, embarrassing really doesn't cover it. Humiliating. Devastating. It would have been a relief because I wouldn't be in my own personal hell, testing the morals even a saint would give up for to belong to this beauty.

I notice her eyeing me. God, I really _really_ wish she was checking me out but it's probably more like sizing up the non-American. Did I dress too casually? Should I have traded my trusty messenger bag for a briefcase?

She looks up again. "Oh don't worry. I totally get it. It's nice to find a buddy for your classes," she smiles kindly. Right, that's what I am. A _buddy_. Ugh, that word is repulsive. I try not to let my disgust show and choose to lean over to pick up my coffee to escape her for a second. Wrong choice, though. I took a deep breath to gather my thoughts but I was right next to her hair and smelled lavender and sunshine and… chocolate? I smiled wider than I have in a year. The food truck girl blushes at my smile, probably thinking what a weirdo I am. She has no idea that I've just met a woman who smells like what my home used to smell like. The lavender candles Liam used to put out to "remind us of Mum," the sunshine pouring in through our windows on Saturday mornings, and the hot chocolate Liam would make on those cold, foggy London mornings.

And then the scent was gone on a breeze. I pick up my coffee, reminding myself that I'm not only here to prove to Milah that I can change the mistakes of the past, but to make it up to Liam. To make sure that his sacrifices were all worth it in the end.

I point to Grimm and ask, "Shall we?" without looking over. It would be good to have her as a buddy… but nothing else. I'm on a mission.


End file.
